The Exploration of the Relationships Between African American Students and their Non-African American Teachers and the Impact on Student Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between African American students and their non-African American teachers through student perception and achievement. The measurement tool was a perception survey. The researcher analyzed a 23-question, Likertstyle survey completed by student participants that determined their views on school, teachers, and their perspective on individual relationships with their teacher. The questions sought to identify information about the students’ general perceptions of school and teacher qualities. The questions also sought information on students’ perceptions of actually receiving these qualities from their teachers. The results indicated that students, regardless of their academic achievement, value particular traits in their teachers. The results also indicate that students experience these qualities more frequently in teachers that have similar cultural backgrounds to them despite no correlation to student achievement.